John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War and a member of the prominent Astor family. In April 1912, Astor earned a prominent place in history when he embarked on the ocean liner RMS Titanic and went missing four days into its maiden voyage after narrowly missing an iceberg. He was considered to be the richest person in the world at that time. Among Astor's accomplishments was A Journey in Other Worlds, an 1894 science fiction novel about life in the year 2000 on the planets Saturn and Jupiter. He also patented several inventions, including a bicycle brake in 1898, a "vibratory disintegrator" used to produce gas from peat moss, and a pneumatic road-improver, and helped develop a turbine engine. Astor made millions in real estate. In 1897, Astor built the Astoria Hotel, "the world’s most luxurious hotel", in New York City, adjoining the Waldorf Hotel owned by Astor’s cousin, William Waldorf Astor. The complex became known as the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. From 1894 to 1896, he was on the staff of Governor Levi P. Morton. Shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Astor personally financed a volunteer artillery unit known as the Astor Battery, which saw service in the Philippines. Astor was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Volunteers and served as a staff officer in Cuba during the Santiago Campaign. During this time he allowed his yacht, the Nourmahal, to be used by the U.S. government. During the war, Astor appeared in the films President McKinley's Inspection of Camp Wikoff in 1898 and Col. John Jacob Astor, Staff and Veterans of the Spanish-American War in 1899. Gongshow:Gaiden The group met Astor after being pulled into the board game Jumanji when he stabbed and killed a vampire to help them out. Through conversation, the group found that it was indeed Astor who had rolled the dice and begun the game, after being given a foreboding fortune reading from a gypsy girl named Jhoira. She claimed that if he were to either not board the Titanic, or to survive the Titanic and make it to America, that great harm would befall his family and eventually, the rest of the world. The day of the Titanic's maiden voyage, a package containing the came to his door with only the game and a note reading "roll the dice." Earlier in life, Astor was a vampire hunter of some import, adventuring with a small group of friends and solving various problems around the world, especially in Europe. His heritage is in vampire hunting, as far back at least as John Jacob Astor the first's parents Maria Magdalena (née Van Helsing) and Johann Jacob Astor, a butcher, known as the "beautiful mountain" for his size and dexterity with a knife. After fighting alongside Gongshow: Gaiden, Astor opted to stay inside Jumanji in order to avert disaster, and asked the group to tell his wife goodbye for him. Astor was mentioned by Vincent Van Gogh while in Hell as one of Vincent's old gang. Category:Characters Category:Ally Characters